Neil Brewer

Professor Neil Brewer is a prominent academic at Flinders University specializing in forensic psychology and cognitive science. His primary research focuses on improving eyewitness identification accuracy through innovative procedures like the confidence-based lineup method, which evaluates confidence levels across suspects rather than traditional selection-based approaches. He also investigates how autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects interactions with legal systems, including credibility judgments and forensic interviews.

Brewer collaborates closely with Australian police and judicial bodies to train professionals in modern lineup techniques. His work has demonstrated significant improvements in accuracy rates using his confidence procedure compared to conventional methods. Key areas of exploration include autism-related behaviors in forensic contexts, theory of mind deficits, and the implications of atypical social cognition for legal outcomes.

Publications highlight his contributions to eyewitness memory assessment, autism screening tools (e.g., Autism Detection in Early Childhood), and policy recommendations for evidence preservation. Despite no explicitly listed awards, his influential research shapes both academic discourse and practical legal procedures across Australia.